A Winner was Chosen!

Congratulations to M.S. Spencer, Meredith, who has won a copy of Murder in Paradise.

A winner was chosen using the random.org generator.

And thank you to all the visitors of my blog during the Secret Cravings Anniversary
Blog Hop!

Tuesday Tales Picture Prompt

I'm so happy to be joining my friends at Tuesday Tales this week. We're writing to the holiday picture prompt.

It wasn’t exactly how she planned it, but it was a New Year’s Eve celebration at the Chambers B&B. Leslie couldn’t believe it, the party she dreaded planning was a success. Everyone raised their champagne glasses, ringing in the New Year. After an hour of dancing and drinking the crowd thinned out, and one by one they went on their way, just like at Times Square, which magically empties out after the ball drop. During the evening she was swept away by the excitement, but when it was over she felt a wave of loneliness knowing Kevin wasn’t there.

She glanced over at the Christmas tree, the lights flickering almost in rhythm to music that softly played. What is that? She noticed a well wrapped present beside the tree, a lovely box with a gold ribbon. It sat next to the fake presents she displayed under the tree that was just for decoration. Where did it come from? She walked over to the box and picked it up. There was a gift tag tucked underneath the bow, she immediately recognized the handwriting, it was from Kevin. She looked around, she was alone. She carefully pulled off the ribbon and opened the box. Inside was a note, You never know when you might need this. She smiled as she pulled out a small flashlight attached to a rope chain, just like the one Kevin used to get them out of the woods last week when they stayed too out too long. A blanket of warmth wrapped around her and settled in her heart as she recalled chiding him for his collection of flashlights. Her heart beat faster remembering how he held her hand securely and lead the way with his trusty little flashlight. Damn it, she didn’t want to but maybe she was falling for him… again.    

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Happy Anniversary SCP!

I’m very happy and proud to celebrate Secret Cravings Publishing’s Fourth Anniversary. 

In honor of the occasion I will give away a pdf copy of my romantic suspense novella with SCP, Murder in Paradise. Since 95% of the country is freezing right now, leave a comment telling us where your special paradise getaway would be. I’ll randomly pick a winner from the comments by Tuesday, please leave your email address to be contacted.  

Story Blurb

Romance author Claire Jenkins thought the Hawaii Writer’s Conference would be the perfect break she needed. A chance to hang out with her writing buddies, maybe take a workshop and explore Hawaii. She didn’t dream she’d walk in on a murder scene involving Hawaii’s most famous honeymooners, wind up as the guest of the suspect or pretend to be the girlfriend of her handsomely sexy writing partner, bestselling thriller author Sam Stewart.

Sam’s got his hands full trying to keep Claire safe and figure out if their host, the newlywed architect, Dan Harris, is indeed a murderer. His job just got even more difficult as he and Claire pose as a couple. Sam has to protect Claire without smothering her or risk ruining their professional relationship. Will it be too tempting for the both of them to act on the attraction they share, or will they give in to their feelings, throw caution to the island breeze and begin a new chapter in their lives? 

Click here return back to the Blog Hop.

Back List Blog Hop

Welcome to Secret Cravings Publishing All Genre Back List Blog Hop! I'm happy to joining in on the summer fun with my fellow Secret Cravings Authors, giving readers a taste of our varied Back List.



I'm featuring my novella Love and the Economy, in which takes a divorced couple, with feelings for each other find themselves in extraordinary circumstances.





Love and the Economy
Blurb

Just when Andrea Elliot thought life was getting back to normal after the divorce, her ex, Daren is moving back home. While the ink on their divorce papers dried up, so did the U.S. economy, and Daren’s architecture firm. Since Daren can’t afford to support two households and a floundering business, his accountant advises the couple live together in the family home – just till the economy improves. This couldn’t have happened at a worse time for Andrea. She's just started to date again.

Daren still loves Andrea, and sees their new living arrangement as his opportunity to make things right. Once home he takes off his suit and puts on his work clothes, and gets busy re-building his reputation and his ex-wife’s home office. Can Daren see what Andrea desires, and be the present take-charge man she’s always needed, and can Andrea put her pride away and let him?

Buy Links

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Secret Cravings

Link back to the SCP blog to enjoy more back list selections from our talented SCP authors. 

A Winner Has Been Chosen!

A big congratulations to Anne! She won a copy of Murder in Paradise during the Spring Fling Blog Hop!

Melanee R. has won the Grand Prize!

Thanks to everyone who stopped by my blog. I had a great time blog hopping!

Spring Fling Blog Hop

I'm so happy to be participating in the Spring Fling Blog Hop. Thank you Laurie for arranging the hop. I live in New York City, and like the rest of the country we're ready to say farewell to the freezing cold winter and endless snow storms. We're ready for spring, and what better way to celebrate the season than with a blog hop, where we can pick up some exciting new reads to go along with our new light and bright spring clothes.

My newest release, Murder in Paradise is a romantic suspense set in Hawaii. It features an author who makes a grim discover while attending a conference in Hawaii. She's busy trying to solve a murder and fight the growing attraction to her writing partner, the talented and sexy Sam Stewart. Murder in Paradise recently received a four star review from BTS eMag.

Murder in Paradise

Blurb

Romance author Claire Jenkins thought the Hawaii Writer’s Conference would be the perfect break she needed. She didn’t dream she’d walk in on a murder scene involving Hawaii’s most famous honeymooners, wind up as the guest of the suspect or pretend to be the girlfriend of her handsomely sexy writing partner, bestselling thriller author Sam Stewart.

Sam’s got his hands full trying to keep Claire safe and figure out if their host, the newlywed architect, Dan Harris, is indeed a murderer. His job just got even more difficult as he and Claire pose as a couple. Sam has to protect Claire without smothering her or risk ruining their professional relationship. Will it be too tempting for the both of them to act on the attraction they share, or will they give in to their feelings, throw caution to the island breeze and begin a new chapter in their lives?

To WIN a Free Copy of MURDER IN PARADISE, just leave a comment and your email address below. I'll pick the winner April 7. 

...And enter the Rafflecopter for a chance to win the blog hop's Grand Prize, a $70 Gift Card, your choice of Amazon or Barnes & Noble!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Continue the blog hop by visiting the author's below. Enjoy the hop and Happy Spring!

My Writing Process Blog Tour

Welcome to my blog and the My Writing Process Blog Tour. First I would like to thank author Jeanine McAdam who tagged me in her blog post last week. Jeanine is a fellow Secret Cravings author and we’re also members of the RWA/NYC Chapter, she writes fantastic sexy cowboy stories with a lot of heart.

  What am I working on? 

I’m currently working on a women’s fiction type story with a romantic edge. It’s about a woman who’s made a name for herself as a travel photographer and now has to return home to run her mother’s B&B. As soon as she drives up she is faced with the one person, who’s kept her away from home for so long, an old flame she’s never gotten over who’s doing the renovations on the inn.  Any big problem she has is that she can’t cook, and that’s not good when you’re faced with running a B&B. She has the support of friends and family to help her along. I’m picturing this as a series, its set in a small town in upstate New York.

How does my work differ from others of its genre? 

I enjoy writing stories that are based on reality. I also like writing about people that already have a connection, like reuniting old lovers, which I did in Love and the Economy and working partners in Murder in Paradise rather than two people who just randomly meet. I like heartfelt stories, but I also like taking readers on an adventure, someplace they haven’t been before.

Why do I write what I do? 

I like writing about how a person changes their perception about their situation, which is really how change begins. It’s encouraging and enlightening to see how much the little things we do for each other mean to those around us, especially our significant others. While writing Love and the Economy I enjoyed showing how the relationship changed once the heroine, Andrea, started to see things from her ex-husband’s point of view and vice-versa.  In Murder in Paradise, the hero and heroine are authors who write together and have become friends. They’re also of different races, but that’s not a factor in the story, it’s just describes who they are. I have to admit that when I created the hero Sam Stewart, visions of Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle crept into my head. I’m a big Castle fan, but I wanted it to be a writing partnership rather than a writer/cop relationship. In real life my fiancé and I were partners in a job where we worked together very closely. Someday I will write a story loosely based on it.

How does my writing process work? I start brainstorming ideas. I usually start with a premise or sometimes the characters. It changes depending on the story. I keep asking the “what if” question until I’m satisfied I’ve got a feasible story that has wings. When I wrote Murder in Paradise, I wrote a 300 word start to a story based on a picture prompt on the Tuesday Tales blog. The picture was of a cute row boat lying on an isolated beach. I pictured my heroine, Claire, getting out of that row boat and making an incredible discovery on the little island, while she’s attending a writing conference in Hawaii. I recently started using WriteWayPro, writing software to write my stories. I write each chapter and scene separately and have a place for adding in notes.

Once I’ve got an idea and the characters in place, than I’m off and running till I get the end, sometimes taking a detour or two. I had fun writing Murder in Paradise, it my first time writing a romantic suspense, and I liked bringing the characters to the edge. I look forward to writing more suspense stories; they’re exciting and fun to do.

You can read excerpts from both novellas on my website http://www.carolyngibbsbooks.com/

Now I’m tagging two talented fellow Secret Cravings authors. They'll be blogging next Monday on their writing process.

Lena Hart

 Lena Hart is an author of sensual romances with alpha heroes and smart, sexy heroines. Though she enjoys romance stories of all kinds, she mainly writes interracial romances with a hint of mystery and danger. When she is not writing, reading, or conferring with her muse, you can find her on Facebook, Twitter, or blogging about everything and nothing. To learn more about Lena and her work, visit www.LenaHartSite.com and her blog at http://scatblogging.blogspot.com/

Karen Cino

Karen Cino is a single mom living in Staten Island, New York, with her two adult children, Michael and

Nicole, and three cats. Secret Cravings Publishing published her debut novel Roses in April 2012. Her second novel The Boardwalk takes place in her hometown of Staten Island, New York.  Her four book Mystical Wonders Series is also set in her hometown. Her next Contemporary Romance Love Challenges and Desires is due out in May 2014.  Currently she is working on a Baseball Series. Visit her blog at karencinobooks.blogspot.com and her website karencino.com.